Teachers’ aides are some of the hardest-working employees in a school. Sometimes called para-professionals or para-pros, these helpers assist certain students and help with controlling chaos in the classroom.
Because of the hands-on nature of their work, they're also prone to be injured on the job. It’s important for these valuable school employees to understand that they can file for workers’ compensation if they're hurt at work, even if they're part-timers.
How Aides Get Hurt at School
If an aide is assigned to work with a student who's health impaired, their job will be physically demanding. Working with students with cognitive or behavioral challenges, as my daughter-in-law does, could mean they're at risk of being assaulted. Teachers’ aides are in the trenches with students, so to speak, and they suffer injuries as often as, or even more frequently than, classroom teachers.
Some causes of para-pro injuries include:
- Outbursts and attacks. When an aide is assigned to work with an individual student, they could bear the brunt when the student lashes out or has a tantrum. Being hit, knocked down, or shoved against a wall can cause serious injuries.
- Playground incidents. Teachers’ aides often serve as playground monitors and are the first on the scene if there's a fight. They can also suffer trip and fall injuries, be hit by playground equipment, or sustain a strain or sprain injury while playing with children.
- Handling wheelchairs. Pushing a student in a wheelchair, moving an empty wheelchair, and lifting a student in an out of the chair can all take their toll on a teacher who must do these tasks all day, every day.
- Lifting and restraining. Teachers’ aides are often responsible for physically restraining students having a meltdown and may have to lift and carry the child away to protect other students. These are physically-demanding tasks.
If you get to where the physical demands of your job as a teachers’ aide cause injuries that prevent you from working, you can qualify for workers’ compensation to pay for your medical bills and lost wages, even if you only work part-time. Learn more about your rights as a worker in Ohio by downloading my free book, The Worker’s Guide to Injury Compensation in Ohio.
If you have questions after an injury at school, call my office to speak to one of my knowledgeable team members.
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